Automatic copying apparatus



May 1, 1962 K. K. MOSER AUTOMATIC comm; APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 16, 1960 K HW H HHHHUT I! \m\.\ \w

I wvavro K/w/ KurT/Wosw May 1, 1962 K. K. MOSER 3,031,941

AUTOMATIC COPYING APPARATUS Filed May 16, 1960 s Sheets-Sheet 2 A M417 M aw maw AWE 44594.:

May 1, 1962 K. K. MOSER AUTOMATIC COPYING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 16, 1960 United States Patent 3,031,941 AUTOMATIC CGPYING APPARATUS Karl Kurt Moser, Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt, Germany, as-

signor to Develop Kommanditgesellschaft Dr. Eishein 8: Co., Stuttgart-Feuerbach, Germany Filed May 16, 1960, Ser. No. 29,391 4 Claims. (Cl. 95--75) The invention relates to an arrangement for the production of photocopies by the silver salt diffusion process, that is, a process in which a light-sensitive coating (negative) is used for producing a latent image thereon by exposing it to light while in direct superposed contact with the original to be reproduced and in which such latent image is then transferred onto another coating (positive) by moistening both coatings in a developer solution and thereafter pressing them against each other.

It relates more specifically to an arrangement of that kind in which an exposing device and a moistening and pressing device are arranged in a common housing and in which means are provided to feed the negative and the original past the exposure device, to separate the negative and the original after passing the exposure device, with feeding means associated with the moistening and pressing device to feed the exposed negative and a positive therethrough, including means for holding a positive material in roll form, means to draw off material from a roll carried by said holding means and means to cut off a positive from a section of positive material drawn off by said drawing means.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an arrangement of this type in which the means to draw oif and cut off the positive are automatically controlled in correspondence to various sizes of the negative, the control of the cutting and drawing means so as to initiate action of the drawing and cutting ofi of a positive of the same length as the negative being achieved by means in the path of the exposed negative from the exposure device to the moistening and pressure device, which means are activated by the negative and are operatively connected to the cutting and drawing means.

A further object of the invention is to provide a control arrangement for the automatic regulation of the individual operations, which is of quite a simple nature and results in a sure succession of the steps of the operation.

The invention for this purpose utilizes one single driving motor combined with a coupling which, in dependence on the means in the path of the negative-layer carrier, is electromagnetically movable back and forth by an electrically operated device, so that the driving clutch part turns continuously with the transport roller of the exposure device and the moistening and pressing device, and the driven clutch part, when engaged, draws off a section of the positive-layer carrier from the feed roll and controls the operation of the cutting device therefor.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description, particularly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically and in perspective a device embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a similar view of a modification; and,

FIG. 3 is a vertical crosssection.

The arrangement shown includes a through-feed exposure device with a pressing and transporting roll 11, a transparent plate 12 and a light source 13 in the form of a tube with a reflector 14. It also includes a continuousfeed moistening and pressing device which includes a container 21 for the developing fluid, and a conducting element for the carrier layers. This latter is composed of plates 23, 24, 25 between which the negative (between 23 and 24) and positive (between 24 and 25) layers are guided. There is also a pair of feed and pressing rolls 22 at the outlet side of the guide 23, 24, 25 for pressing the negative and positive against each other and for feeding them out of the developing tank 21 through outlet 68.

The device also includes a cutting arrangement with a knife 32 carried by a frame 31 vertically slidable on guides 34 and normally pressed upwards by a coil spring 37 resting on base 38. The frame is connected at 39 to the armature 33 of an electromagnet 33.

Knife 32 is mounted rigidly with a shaft 35 turnably mounted in frame 31, and urged in a clockwise direction (FIG. 3) by spring 36 to hold the knife against the fixed cutting member 32'.

The mechanism is enclosed in a light-tight housing 60. The original is fed, as indicated by arrow 1, and the negative, as indicated by arrow 2, into a channel formed by walls 61, 61 on opposite sides of divider 62. From the divider, wires 63, such as are described in application S.N. 855,148, filed Nov. 24, 1959, lead between roller 11 and plate 12 to plate 64 so as to guide the original outlet 65.

There is likewise included a guide of channel form formed of spaced plates 66, 66 for receiving the negative from the roll 11, after it has been exposed, the positive being separated from the negative by threads 63.

For producing the movement of the copy material, there is an electric motor 41, which can be connected to an ordinary current source, through a switch 51, which can be opened as desired. The pressure and transport roller 22 of the continuous moistening and pressing device is connected directly to the motor 41 through gears.

The motor 41 also drives through a chain 4-2 the roller 11 of the continuous exposure device. It also drives, through gearing, a stationary disc 43, forming the driving member of a disc clutch, the other member 44 of which is mounted on a shaft 45 which is movable in the direction of the arrow 46. The coupling is normally, as is shown, shifted to the left by means of a spring (not shown) so that the shaft 44 is not driven. However, it can be moved to the right by an electromagnet 53, in the circuit of which is arranged a switch 54 controlled by an arm 54' which can enter an opening in the guide 66, 66 for the negative and can engage the negative.

If the clutch 43, 44, is engaged and the shaft 45 is turned, then a sprocket 47 on the shaft by a chain 48 also drives the advancing roller 49 of the positive material to draw it from the supply roll 3.

There are additional switches 55' and 56. These are both arranged in the circuit of the electromagnet 33. The switch 55 is so arranged that its switch arm 55' engages against the sprocket 47, and the switch 55 is opened whenever the coupling 43, 44 is engaged.

When the coupling is disengaged, the contacts of switch 55 engage.

The switch arm 56 of the switch 56 lies in the path of the positive material 3 as it is fed forward by the feed roll 49 and idler roll 49'.

A switch 52 is provided for turning on and off the light tube 13.

The positive material is fed by the feeding means past the cutting device to a guide 67, 67' which directs it to the guide 24, 25. Into an opening in this guide projects switch arm 56, which is raised when the positive sheet strikes it to close the switch 56.

The operation of this arrangement is as follows:

The switches 51 and 52 are closed. The light tube 13 is energized and the motor 41 is supplied with current. This turns the pressing and transporting rolls 2?. of the moistening and pressing device and the transport roll 11 of the exposure device. The current to the magnets 53 and 33 remains broken through the switches 54 and 55. 7 If, now, an original (with its side to be copied downward) and a correspondingly long piece of negative material with the sensitive side upward, are introduced into the exposure device and led by means of the transport roll 11 past the light source 13, the negative is exposed. The two layers are separated from each other by the separating wires 63. The original is then led out of the apparatus by the directing plate 53, while the exposed negative enters the guide 66, 66. As soon as the front end of the negative passes the switch 54., it shifts the switch arm 54- and closes the circuit through magnet 53. This connects the shaft 45 to the motor 41, by shifting the shaft and bringing the driven clutch part 44 into engagement with the driving part 43. This then begins to drive the transport roller 49, and draws a piece of posi tive material 3 from the roll 31. This piece is passed through the cutting arrangement 31 towards the moistening and pressing device. The magnet 53 remains unenergized, because the switch 55 is'opened by the movement of gear 47. When the rear edge of the negative passes the switch arm 54 switch 54 opens, the magnet 53 is deenergized and the clutch 43, 44 is disengaged. The transport roll 49, which has moved by now a suitable length of the positive material corresponding to that of the negative material, stops and the switch 55 closes and this (since switch 56 is already closed) energizes the magnet 33 which moves the knife 32 downward to cut off the projecting part ofthe positive layer 3.

The edges of the positive and negative sheets reach the guide of the moistening and pressing device and the rolls 22 simultaneously, and are moved conjointly through the developing tank 21 and fed out of the mechanism after passing through the rolls 22.

After the rear edge of the piece of positive material has passed the switch arm 56 of the switch 56, this switch opens and the circuit to magnet 33 is broken and the knife returns to its upward position.

The rollers 22 press the wetted negative and positive one against the other whereby the developed negative image begins to transfer through diffusion on to the positive. After a suitable length of time, this process is performed and then the layers coming from the rolls 22 are separated.

If the distance from rolls l1 and 49 to rolls 22 is greater than the length of the material, intermediate feed rollers for the negative and positive sheets can be provided.

FIG. 2 differs from FIG. 1 only in a few respects. Motor 41' drives roller 11 through gearing 42. It also drives continuously through gearing 74 a feed roller 49a. Switch 54a is a two position switch. When it is turned by the negative to the upper position (FIG. 2) it energizes an electromagnet 53 which raises the left hand edge of plate '72 pivoted on axis '73, thus pressing the positive material against roll 4% and causing it to be fed forward until the end of the negative passes arm 54', and switch 54a drops to its lower position. The positive material meanwhile has closed switch 560, so that a circuit is now closed'to magnet 33 to cause the knife to cut oif the positive material.

While I have described herein some embodiments of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not intend to limit myself thereby except within the scope of the claims hereto or hereinafter appended.

I claim:

1. Photocopy apparatus comprising a housing, an exposure device and a moistening and pressing device within the housing, means to feed the negative and the original past the exposure device, means to separate the negative and the original after passing the exposure device, feeding means associated with the moistening and pressing device to feed an exposed negative and a positive therethrough, means for holding a positive material in roll form, means to draw off material from a roll carried by said holding means, means to cut off a positive from a section of positive material drawn off by said drawing means, means to feed a separated negative and cut-off positive to said moistening and pressing device, and means in the path of the exposed negative operatively connected to the cutting and drawing means and responsive to the length of the negative to control the cutting and drawing means so as to initiate action of the drawing means and cut off a positive of the same length as the negative.

2. Photocopy apparatus comprising a housing, an exposure device and a moistening and pressing device within the housing, means to feed the negative and the original past the exposure device, means to separate the negative and the original after passing the exposure device, feeding means associated with the moistening and pressing device to feed an exposed negative and a positive therethrough, means for holding a positive material in roll form, means to draw of? material from a roll carried by said holding means, means to cut 05 a positive from a section of positive material drawn off by said drawing means, means to feed a separated negative and cut-off positive to said moistening and pressing device, a common driving means for all said feeding means, a clutch having a driving portion connected to said driving means and a driven portion connected to said drawing means, a switch having an operating member located in the path of the exposed negative so that the switch is closed when the leading edge of the negative strikes said operating member and opened when the trailing edge of the negative disengages the member, an electromagnet connected with said switch to be controlled thereby and operatively connected with the driven clutch member to engage the clutch when the electromagnet is energized, and means operatively connected to said driven clutch portion and to said cutting means to operate said cutting means when the clutch is disengaged.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, inwhich said cutting means includes a knife mounted to swing across the path of the positive material, said means to operate the cutting means including an electromagnet connected to said knife to move it across the path, a pair of switches in circuit with said electromagnet, means operatively connected with the driven clutch portion to close one of said switches when the clutch is disengaged, and means in the path of the cut-off positive connected with the second switch to open it when the rear edge of the positive has passed a given point so as to deenergize the electromagnet and allow the knife to return to normal posi-' tion.

4. Photocopy apparatus comprising a housing, an exposure device and a moistening and pressing device within the housing, means to feed the negative and the original past the exposure device, means to separate the negative and the original after passing the exposure device, feeding means associated with the moistening and pressing device to feed an exposed negative and a positive therethrough, means for holding a positive material in roll form, means todraw ofi material from a roll carried by said holding means, said drawing means comprising a driven feed roller disposed on one side of the path of the positive material, a plate movably disposed on the .opposite side of said path and means for moving that plate against said feed roller, thus pressing the positive material against the roller and causing it to be fed forward, means to cut off a positive from a section of positive material drawn oil by said drawing means, means to feed the exposed negative and cut-ofl' positive to said moistening and pressing device and a common driving means for all said feeding means, a switch having an operating member 10- cutting means to operate said cutting means when the trailing edge of the negative disengages the operating member of the switch.

References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS Limberger Jan. 31, 1956 

